Developing Menus

I’m bringing to the table this crucial subject, how to succeed with your food menus???
There are thousands of restaurants, however, not many times the menus are developed with logic or driven to profitability, so I’ll start first with some myths:

*Hundreds of dishes in your menu do not please Clients, actually, they confuse them.

*What the Owner, GM or Partner eats, does not mean that all of your Clients will like it.

*The best way to know that your menu is a success (among other things), your success it’s directly proportioned with the leftovers in the trash, if your plates return clean, it tells you that you are on the right track, if it doesn’t, then you have a problem in your hands.

*The best Executive Chef is NOT the one that cooks the best dishes; it is the one that KNOWS how to make the kitchen Staff to cook those exact same dishes.

*If you don’t have a plan, things WILL go wrong.

*Defrosting meats below a water faucet diminishes almost 30% of the meat liquid, but remember that you paid for that water as if it was meat.

*The water does not boil faster if a cook is continuously looking at it; there are more important things to do around.


Now some of many tips for you to have a well planned and successful menu:

1.-Seasonal fruits and vegetables and fishes are cheaper, nicer and better, use them.

2.-Write the menu properly, there is a classic menu order, follow it accordingly, using correct cooking methods and terms.

3.-Print your menus in the best quality materials, as they are the face Clients look at.

4.-Do not overflow your menu with countless dishes, 6 of each course will do the trick.

5.-Use sustainability in your favor, local ingredients are cheaper, fresher and you are contributing to your destination.

6.-Do not use the same factor to price your items, use your common sense and use your competitors for it, you wouldn’t want to be out of market.

7.-Your menu has to be “culturally accepted”, don’t use very exotic ingredients (unless your concept reflects that or your Clientele recognizes), otherwise you will end up with unhappy Clients and lots of money into the garbage.

8.-Use the philosophy of “Honest Food” (it’s a satisfaction for Clients when they got a good deal for a good meal).

9.-GET BACK TO BASICS, your target market has changed, you need to change as well or you will be out of business quickly, go through your business again and again, and look for the basics of Clients satisfaction, financial achievement and Staff motivation, the rest is “a piece of cake”.

Get Back to Basics

Seems as an impossible task, while our business has developed a very complex structure, has become bigger, hungrier, trendier, but is it making enough money like this, or you need to simplify your structure, make it friendlier, and most sure, make more money? That’s what getting back to basics is, simplifying your entire operation, making it costs and expenses effective, concise, congruent, consistent, going back to where the magic began. If making money is your thing, I invite you to read some recommendations on how to simplify your entire operation, making it more profitable.


--Make a good and solid plan, don’t start without it, as you will end up with two problems now, what did you do? And how am I going to restore the damage?. Always start your planning with the task that is more time consuming, that way you will end up with long term solutions.

--Read, analyze, study and comprehend your business first reports when life was easier and making money was like a day at the beach, as you will come up with old but cutting edge solutions.

--If you cannot see it, report it, understand it, measure it, imagine it, savor it and really feel it, YOU CAN’T IMPROVE IT.

--Take your time, as this transformation does not come from one day to another, be patient, as you will for sure make some mistakes, but be confident that the outcome will be positive eventually.

--Know your business, talk to Employees, Customers and Vendors on how they visualize your place, walk around and see things for yourself, and make sure to write things down as there’s no such thing a gifted memory instead of a common piece of paper.

--Make your whole Staff aware what are you looking for and how do you want to achieve it, you CANNOT do it for yourself, you need your Team to back you up, the more people you involve, the easier you will achieve goals.

--Problems and difficulties are no more than areas of opportunity, focus your effort on what is worth, don’t waste your time and money where there are no troubles.

--Show off what you’ve accomplished, this brings positive feeling for those around you, don’t keep it to yourself and your reflection in the mirror.

Each business has areas of opportunity; it’s just a matter of finding them and act accordingly to its basis to solve it faster and better.

Angry Guests

Handling angry Guests is one of the hardest things to manage in hospitality, and you have to consider that Clients are trying to spend less and their expectations are higher while travelling, even more in these difficult times, and of course there are some tactical strategies for turning an angry Guest into a loyal Customer, the first consideration you have to think is Damage Control, don’t let an angry person to walk away, as this will unleash unpleasant consequences as bad reviews on Trip Advisor or other GDS web pages, terrible word to mouth, and you will loose valuable resources (take in consideration that usually the Guest only needs to be heard).
Here are some recommendations on how to handle those situations and turn them into a positive experience:

1) When the Guest experiences a symptom of dissatisfaction for a badly performed service:
a. DON’T INTERRUPT
b. Manifest a calmed and comprehensive attitude
c. Take notes
d. Try not to justify the Hotel for those services

2) After listening, you should offer an apology and let the Client know that the problem WILL be referred to the proper department for solution and for sure Guest satisfaction is the #1 goal.

3) If it is about a failure or a service not provided, you will not rest until the problem is 100% fixed and you can reassure with the Guest that they are totally satisfied with the solution.

4) Be aware that following up with the solution accordingly is THE key element, as time goes on, Guest will feel much more unsatisfied.

5) If the person dealing with the complaint has no authority to solve, a Manager has to be reached for authorization, but make it prompt and concise, YOU CANNOT LET ANGRY GUESTS LEAVE THE PROPERTY without the proper solution.

6) Be punctual with the requests to other departments, and get feedback on the process.

7) In the case that you have to compensate with extra services, gift certificates, cash back or other, make sure to protect the Hotel from a future law suit, kindly ask your Guest to sign a liability form, as you don’t want to have any future impact.

8) take the guest AWAY from busy service areas - dealing with the issue in an office or quieter environment provides the guest with assurance you are taking them seriously, focuses your attention on them, and them alone, and also ensures that other guests do not overhear the complaint, perpetuating the situation from 1 complaint to 5 (added by Matt Shiells-Jones)

One useful tool that you can have is a well thought and written Accommodation Contract, make sure to include all do’s and dont’s, and have it reviewed by a Lawyer to be congruent with current laws.

The Client is ALWAYS right, but this rule has exemptions:
When the Customer is abusing
When other Guests get annoyed with the solution


It’s all about the Client, because this valued asset will lead you to profitability…

Running out of ideas on how to bring your menus back to life?

If you got to the point of taking three aspirins with espresso while your hands are shaking and you still have no clue on how to bring dishes variety for your Clientele, take a soothing green tea, breath normally, count to ten and relax, then I invite you to read some recommendations on how to bring some life back to your menus, remember that menus are your recommendation letters, your sales tools and your marketing pitch, so my tip for you is to make it right, not in a good way, but in a professional way (there’s thousands of miles that separate this two visions). So here are many things that you CAN do in order to make it profitable:

===To aim for a specific target market, first you need to figure out what your competitors are doing, and after that, you have two options left, create something new or make the existing much better than your competition (the professional way).

===It’s not a biblical damnation if you ask for help; there are many professionals out there that would help you building successful menus, trust on what you see, not of what you’ve heard.

===Search the internet, browse through old magazines, look up for cookbooks, but not just for copying recipes, but for getting fresher ideas, new trends, dishes presentation, but try to make it cost-effective.

===Mile long menus are difficult to read, to understand, to interpret and most likely you have your kitchen full with expired or close to expire food. Your menus should be concise, explained (otherwise you will end up with an “explanation waiter” instead of a seller), easy reading (fonts) and lead you to mouthwatering just for reading it.

===Get the most out of seasonal products, as you will end up buying cheaper, fresher and tastier. Ask your suppliers for seasonal ingredients, that way you can bring your menus a very special twist.

===Build up a solid ingredients chart; include minimums, maximums, and point of reorder, cost and three supplier’s options, this will take your headaches away, and you can get a very standard way of purchasing.

===Make daily specials, this can bring menu variety for your Customer, especially if they are regular Clients. Also prepare a cocktail of the day, this will light up your bar just a notch.

If you are a Vendor or Supplier, I cordially ask you to please abstain yourself of promoting your services and products.

Please feel free to leave a note or share your professional experience.

Are You Penny Pinching with your Suppliers?

This is one of the most important tasks in many industries, as the final product and its profitability is directly proportional for making the right decisions while choosing a Supplier or Vendor, so I want to start with some facts that will assist you to make the right choice:

-Bargains do not always translate in cost effectiveness or product performance.
-Consistency in products and prices are probably the main characteristics of a good Vendor.

-Globalization is always around; so many Vendors will have the exact same product you are looking for.

-Don’t ever get “married” with one Supplier, as “honeymoon” can turn into “bittermoon”.

-Vendors have a sales quota, make sure to buy what you need, do not overstock your warehouse.

-If you don’t know what products you are looking for, it’s impossible to source the right Supplier, plan in advance.

-Your Purchasing Manager is a real price hunter, no matter quality, if you make the right product specifications, you will end up exactly with what you need.

-Having several Vendors for the same product will only increase your operational costs or expenses, make the right choice only once, but be sure to always have a backup just in case.


And now some things to consider:

+Get prices lists on a regular basis, as nothing that you can’t measure, can’t be improved.

+The best way to source Vendors are through recommendations or referrals.

+Always negotiate, as this will bring a positive effect in your costs.

+Best Suppliers are punctual, formal and deliver consistency.

+Know your Supplier Company Manager; it is the person that will help you in any problem, and make sure you get an open line of communication.

+Performance tests on samples are essential, as unfortunately, almost 80% of the purchased product is different from the one you tested.

+Constantly changing your Vendors will increase your costs, expenses and for sure will give you a major headache. If you made your decision, stick to it.

+Once in a while, pick up the phone for a courtesy call to your Vendor; this will keep them motivated to get the best products at the best prices.

+30% of the products Vendors handle, are not in a price list, ask for them.

+Make sure Vendors have the proper stock to fulfill your needs, otherwise you will end up buying more expensive, remember that Vendors do not overstock or have unlimited supply.

+Delivery conditions, prices negotiation, credit openings and your Vendors follow up is 60% of the process, you might give it some attention.

+Do not receive anything that you didn’t ask for, and if you don’t get what you asked for, send it back and make sure for it respective credit note.

+People represent companies, the best negotiations are always held among people, not companies.

+Source for local Vendors, remember that shipping costs, and it is reflected in the prices.
If you are buying equipment, make sure that you get your Vendor’s point of view, as they can assist you in taking the wisest decision.


If you are a Vendor or Supplier, I ask you cordially not to promote your services or products in this posting, I recommend you to start a new discussion.

To choose a Vendor, do not hesitate, make the right decisions, your business depends on it. Please share your experience.